Fostering: Enriching my family's life one dog at a time

by Kevin Tanzer

Every evening as I make the rounds of my home to lock the doors, turn out the lights, and tuck the children into bed, I have the company of a four-footed watchdog. Bart is a very large Great Pyrenees that makes the rounds with me to ensure the two children are in their beds, then walks to Susan’s side of the bed to say good-night, then mine, and finally settles down in the hallway to guard for the night. I can sleep well knowing that an intruder would be announced with loud barks and met with deep growls.

This particular dog is not mine but shares our home as a foster belonging to CGPR. Having a dog like Bart in our home is one of the rewards of fostering dogs for Martha. Other rewards include helping a dog go from scared and nervous to happy and confident and then leave ready to be part of another pack. Some foster dogs only need a place to stay, but others need a little tender loving care, brushing, and fattening up before they are ready for a new home.

A foster dog can be nervous when he comes to our home. The sights and smells are new and different, and it can be stressful to meet our existing pack of two dachshunds and a female Great Pyrenees. To ensure that everyone knows their place, we keep the rescue dog on a lead while letting the dogs sniff each other, and then we walk them around the yard and house. We give the foster time and space to get settled. Although all are intelligent, the personality of every Pyr is different. Some respond to our attentions immediately, while others take several days or weeks to warm up to us.

We find out what each dog enjoys and use that as an incentive to behave and bond. Brushing, belly rubs, and rope bone tug-of-wars are usually winners, but the all-time favorite is freeze-dried liver treats. Regardless of the reward, the dogs are eager to please and be praised. It is not true that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!”

At least that is not true for Pyrs. They’ll quickly learn to become part of the pack and feel like they belong again. Mealtimes for people are usually social affairs, but for a new dog it can be stressful to be hungry and yet not know the pack’s etiquette and manners. I’ll feed the dog in its crate to help reduce the fear of losing its meal until it understands that other canine members of the family will not be allowed to eat its food. Pyrs thrive with order and routine.

Sometimes a foster needs encouragement to modify behaviors, and my entire family, including my children have become well-versed in understanding dog behavior and providing positive reinforcement and training.

Often the dog teaches us. One of our favorite foster dogs would gently take a child’s hand or ankle and pull the child to Susan. This confused us until we realized she was trying to move everyone together so she could keep watch on us. We soon figured out the dog was blind in one eye! She was making the most of her abilities and fulfilling her instinct to guard the pack, part of the breeding of these gentle giants. This “special needs” dog went to a family with several “special needs” children—a great match!

The toughest challenge we have faced as a family is giving the foster dogs back to go to their new home. We spend weeks of effort to make the young dogs into well-adjusted family dogs or to make the old dogs feel young and have a lust for life again. There is a personal investment of time, energy, and love that we freely give to our foster dogs. Occasionally, we hear back from the new owners about the wonderful dog they have, and it gives us great satisfaction to have helped.

CGPR needs more foster homes. A dog entering foster care still belongs to the rescue program. Although there are some additional costs associated with caring for another dog, there is a taxdeduction for keeping a foster dog. (Martha or I gladly will explain this to new foster Pyrents.) For us the benefits of having a foster are rewarding enough to keep us going. We get the satisfaction of helping a deserving dog become part of a new, welcoming pack.

Please open your home to one of these gentle giants. You won’t regret it.

Neither will the Pyr you save.